Kezzles Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Hi all I have my general ielts next week and I'm starting to get nervous! I'm practising as we speak but just wanted to find out what kind of things did you get asked in speaking test? What 250 word essay topics did you get? I have no fear over the letter bit, and I'm sure the listening bit is ok. Reading one I'm a bit nervous about. I would live to get 8's in all 4 areas, how hard is it really? Many advice would be appreciated!! Thank you kez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 Hi, I did the IELTS on the 6th July with my wife, I need a 7 and my wife a 4.5. My wife is a non-native English speaker so I had to coach her, but also I realised very quickly that I needed to coach myself. It's not complicated, but you just need to be familiar with the process. Get the British Council IELTS practice tests here: http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/free-practice-tests Print out the exam sheets and listen to the MP3s for the listening test and do the other tests timed. You can then mark yourself with the results from the website. They practice papers are identical to the exam. The little gotchas are that the listening test can easily trip up a native English speaker because your mind can wander easily, so you need to really try and focus. The reading can be difficult on the ‘True/False/Not Given’ questions, because you have to try and avoid inferring the answer from the text and state not given if it is not explicitly given. The writing involves a short letter of 150. Either formal or informal, so you need to use the correct lexis and grammar depending on the type. I.e Dear Sir/Madam or Dear Betty. Yours sincerely etc. My question was something like “you are going away on a business trip and a friend will look after your children, inform the friend what activities the children like and don’t like, what foods they like and don’t like and instructions for collecting the children when you return”. They will announce every 20 minutes, so after 20 minutes on this question you should finish and move onto the next. The next question is a short essay, IIRC mine was something like “Scientists around the world believe that people are not as physically active as they should be, write a report about why you think this is”. The speaking is dead easy for you, in mine he just asked me questions about what I do for a living, what my hobbies are, about my family and my opinion on a subject. Nothing complicated, just have a chat. Hi CaptainR thanks for the detailed response! I've tried two listening tests 38/40 two silly mistakes. Reading ones I have made mistakes in bits you said could be difficult! True false not given bit!! Grrr. Thanks for link I'll check now see if I have done them already. Im assuming you passed? Or you still waiting? Letter bit seems easy, I hope I get essay subject I'm kinda familiar with but I'm assuming none are too abstract! Must remember to structure.... Start middle end... Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 Ha ha good luck! just did listening one 37/40 happy with that.. Lost concentration with mistakes! See what you mean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 I was severely hungover when I took my IELTS test, and perhaps still intoxicated. I definitely missed a few on the listening test due to loss of concentration... The speaking test was hilarious, the New Zealander examiner was totally confused as to why I was there, and even more confused when I told him I wanted to go to Oz. ha ha classic! I'm being good and skipping works night out on Friday I don't trust myself and I am so bad with hangovers!! Where did you do yours? It bugs me I have to do one I was born and bread in Uk English first language etc blah blah... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 I did mine here in the Middle East. I was only the white guy in the whole group of 30, everyone else was either indian subcontinent, south east Asian or arab. They looked utterly confused when I walked in. That's hilarious!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 My 250 word was pro's and con's of after school club. Discuss. the only con I could think of is you have to pay ha ha Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 My 250 word was pro's and con's of after school club. Discuss. the only con I could think of is you have to pay ha ha Debs ha ha I can't think of any other cons either and I don't have kids!! Hope I get a subject I'm familiar with...how was reading test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scrumpy Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 That was exactly the same for me, everyone and I mean everyone, all other candidates, invidulators, staff, were Oriental, none of which could prounonce my name when calling it out, the only "native" was the Lady who took me for the Speaking, she did explain I was in the minority All this happened as I took it in Cantabury Kent!!!???!!! I did mine here in the Middle East. I was only the white guy in the whole group of 30, everyone else was either indian subcontinent, south east Asian or arab. They looked utterly confused when I walked in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 ha ha I can't think of any other cons either and I don't have kids!! Hope I get a subject I'm familiar with...how was reading test? Reading was ok. I practised with http://www.ielts-exam.net. Loads of free tests on there. Good luck Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomate Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 I'm a non native speaker and work at a Uni. My boss' husband runs the ielts test centre and he gave me some great tips especially for the speaking test: don't be to complacent, it's not simply a chat. Try to use more sophisticated vocab, idioms and don't really on simple sentence construction but show that you can do more... He said this is especially problematic with native speakers who often score lower because they are just having a chat... reading got me with the stupid true/false/ not given... also it is not a real test of your English capabilities but your test taking abilities to practice is key.. good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 I scored we'll on speaking but I agree with the above post. It's not just a chat. They firstly ask you some quick questions about yourself then they ask you about specific things. In my first one they asked me about the countryside. The lady asked did I like the countryside. You can't just answer yes or no, you have to explain why you do or don't like the countryside. Then they asked me did I think the countryside was under threat. Why did I think it was or wasn't. You get the picture. Then I was asked to think of my favourite room in my house and talk about why it was my favourite room for 2 minutes. Doesn't sound long but it feels like forever. Then they asked me about buildings. The differences between old and new buildings, which did I prefer and why. They also asked how important did I think a reception was in a business. The second speaking test i did they asked me about national and international news and social networking. Then they asked me to think about one of my friends and talk about them for 2 minutes. They asked about the differences between friends at home and friends at work and why I behave differently with each. It is quite difficult when you don't know what they're going to ask you. One of my friends was asked to think of a character in a sci fi film that you would want to be and discuss why. I would've been stumped on that one lol. Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikearkwright Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Hiya, I did my IELTS test in April and it was easier than I thought it would be. I got 3 9s and an 8.5 in writing, even though I had mild food poisoning The reading test was very easy, there's no inference, it's all there in the text and its in order so, for example, if you can find the answer to question 1and 3, the answer to 2 will be between them if you see what I mean. The listening test was easy too, but I missed one question as I thought it was an introduction to a new section, so lost concentration for a moment; keep listening all the way through! I can't remember the exact title of the essay, but it was about whether it's better to live in the city or countryside. If you've done academic essays, it can be quite difficult as the IELTS essay is very different. You don't need to,provide a balanced argument, just say what you think. You don't need research but do use anecdotes from your own experience/ knowledge. I practised writing good openers and conclusions and obviously use paragraphs, connectives and a range of language, punctuation and sentence lengths. the speaking test was horrible. My topic was my favourite food. I mean, how much is there to say about food?! The examiner does help prompt you to elaborate though and it must have been ok as I gotta 9, but I felt like I was waffling. hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 Wow some great tips and experiences here, thanks for sharing everyone!! Basically I could get asked anything about everything ha ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 Reading was ok. I practised with www.ielts-exam.net. Loads of free tests on there. Good luck Debs Really good link thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacticenurse Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Did my 2nd attempt last wk! Messed up on the reading!! I've not got results yet but I e booked into the next Ielts for Aug anyway! My writing bit - 250 word on Robots!!! The pros and cons! My personal opinion and any recent media attention ect ! Speaking test - I had to talk for 2 mins about the seaside, where, why, and what .. Also had to answer questions on sea fishing and cargo ships!! I just babbled on..! (In English I think lol) I personally find the reading test the hardest, I could just do with an extra 30mins, I seem to run out of time and rush at the end.. Good luck! Practice practice practice! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I have done academic and general and I had to give a balanced argument on both 250 word essays. Make sure you keep going back to the question to make sure you're not going off on a tangent.. You are allowed to take stationary in with you but it has to be in a clear bag. I used a food bag. You have to use pencil for the test with the exception of the writing test where you can use a pen or a pencil. I would recommend using a pencil so you can erase mistakes. I used a highlighter on the reading test to highlight questions i had already answered making it easier for me to locate where other answers might be. I would wear a cardigan or a jumper over a top too. The test centre I went to was really big and cold. You have to leave your coat and bag in a safe place so don't take anything valuable. You can take a bottle of water in with you but it has to be in a clear bottle. You are allocated a place to sit and on your desk is a piece of paper with your candidate number on and the time to return for your speaking test in the afternoon. Keep this bit of paper because you can check your results online 13 days after your test. Results don't show till after 12pm though. When I was waiting for the speaking test there was people asking others what they were asked in the hope that they would have a heads up. Everyone is asked something on a different subject so this is a useless exercise. I don't know if anyone else feels the same but when I practised at home I would almost always be half a mark down but on the day the test just seemed much easier than the practise material I had been using. I hope this helps. Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Well I just got the texts through with the overall band score; 8.5 for me and 7.0 for my wife. Going to collect the test form in an hour, hope that we made the grade. Hey sounds like good news! Let's us know!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30085 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Congrats CaptainR to you and your Mrs, so long as you only needed the 7s, then at least it's done now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Despite having an overall of 8.5, I ended up with a 7.5 in my writing...... hmm I'll blame that on the alcohol. I only needed the 10 points so its fine, but a bit dissapointing. My wife got a 7 overall which is good considering that she isn't a native English speaker, however the TRF has her nationality wrong and her gender wrong.... Well done if you only need 7 that's ok then!! Nice one. I'd like 8 but think 7 is enough to get me 60 points, well hoping so not had vetassess result yet! 7 for your wife is good! How will you get her nationality and gender changed in form? THEY do the tests and can't get that right eh!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 My exam was on July 6th (academic), but my results aren't displayed on http://results.ielts.org/ Guess I'll wait until next week and just get the TRF. I have to agree that you must pay attention in the listening part, I think I missed 2 words at the end - loss of concentration. Reading: 60 minutes was enough for me, and I wrote my answers on the answer sheet. Writing: diagram showing the process of recycling cans (150 words minimum) + traveling to other countries vs getting information from TV and internet about other countries (250 words minimum) Speaking: Reading the previous comments I think I was a bit chatty I had to speak about myself, then boats and libraries. I'm curious about my result now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoomoo Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Hey Kezzles i did mine last month and it was relatively ok but I did spend the week leading up to it revising like a crazy person. The speaking was fine the examiner asked about my day then had a some focussed questions about what do I do to relax and where would I like to go on holiday then I had to speak for 5mins on a meal I enjoyed and why. reading I would advise you don't over read the question as they are not trick but read it clearly as I did have a tenancy to see what I thought was the answer blatantly in the first paragraph then reading further realised I was too hasty. the listening is where I got 7.5 (my worst score) and that's because I lost concentration figuring where on a map I was being directed too so guessed the location letters. Otherwise I would just advise to revise on the free website for at least a few hours to get to grips with the process as it does reflect the examination process as much as possible. all the best and good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Hey Kezzles i did mine last month and it was relatively ok but I did spend the week leading up to it revising like a crazy person. The speaking was fine the examiner asked about my day then had a some focussed questions about what do I do to relax and where would I like to go on holiday then I had to speak for 5mins on a meal I enjoyed and why. reading I would advise you don't over read the question as they are not trick but read it clearly as I did have a tenancy to see what I thought was the answer blatantly in the first paragraph then reading further realised I was too hasty. the listening is where I got 7.5 (my worst score) and that's because I lost concentration figuring where on a map I was being directed too so guessed the location letters. Otherwise I would just advise to revise on the free website for at least a few hours to get to grips with the process as it does reflect the examination process as much as possible. all the best and good luck thanks for your reply! Well done on your result I've heard academic harder than general too!! I'm going to do a test every night this week. Started doing academic reading ones as done all general ones. Thanks for the tips, I just hope I don't panic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dondanell Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I used a highlighter on the reading test to highlight questions i had already answered making it easier for me to locate where other answers might be. That is some great advice! I have mine booked for next weekend (27/07). Happy with the writing and hopefully the speaking. I am going to overdose on red bull beforehand to try and concentrate during the listening :SLEEP:. The reading I am finding difficult because I just end up re-reading the whole thing over and over on each question! I will be raiding the office stationary cupboard for highlighters now. Thanks for sharing all your experiences and advice on what to expect! Good luck to those still stressing over it (like I am). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Check out English Ryan on youtube. Lots of videos there so start with some of the more basic ones... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kezzles Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Grrrrrr just did reading practice test 35/40, really can't be making 5 mistakes!!!! It's that bloody section true false not given... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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